During the past few years, online meetings have become more common. Yet, while everyone used to attend from their own device at separate locations, more people are meeting as teams at one location and connecting with others at remote locations. Therefore, conference rooms are now being setup with a screen, projector, and a digital camera for streaming. This can be expensive and require a dedicated setup. Plus everyone has to come to that one location. Now there is another option. With the new Starry Hub by CZUR, you can easily setup a conference meeting in just about any room with just a single device.
What Is the Starry Hub?
The Starry Hub is a smart 4K wireless projector that also features a built in 1080 HD webcam which makes it great for virtual meetings. It can project a 150 inch image with clear quality even in a lit room. The Starry Hub is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, with an early bird pledge level of $699. The campaign has already exceeded its goal and the Starry Hugs are scheduled to begin shipping in August 2023.
New to Crowdfunding? Check out our crowdfunding primer.
Product Components and Specs
The Starry Hub comes with the following:
- Starry Hub main unit
- TouchBoard
- Power adapter
- Quick User guide
- Instructions manual
Here are the specs for the Starry Hub:
- Projection Light Source: LED
- Display Technology: DLP
- Chipset: 0.47”DMD FHD
- Lens Type High transmittance coated lens
- Projection Ratio: 0.8:1 (1.45m → 80 inch; 1.8m → 100 inch)
- Projection Screen Size: 30-150 inch (80-100 inch is the best display range)
- Luminance” 2200ANSI
- “Color Gamut Coverage Ratio (under NTSC CIE1953 standard)”: ≥82%
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Focusing Method: Auto or manual
- Keystone Correction Type: Auto (Perpendicular ± 45°); Manual
- Projection Angle: Direct or adjustable elevation angles (4° or 8°)
The Starry Hub stands about 9 inches high, 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep. There is a retractable foot under the front of the device that folds out so the projector can face upwards at an angle. It projects fairly wide so you don’t have to position it far away from the screen. In fact, about 5-6 feet away is best. The video camera is located on the back of the projector and has a 120° wide angle lens which can capture people sitting to the sides of the table near the projector. It features a 1920 x 1080 resolution for clear video and auto adjusts to the lighting in the room. However, since the projector image is quite bright, there is no need to dim the lights in the room. There are six microphones built into the top of the projector in a circular array that sound pick-up from 360° around. A 10W speaker is also built right into the unit.
The Starry Hub comes with a touchboard controller. You can switch the display on the touchboard between a keyboard and a touchpad with the press of a button. This makes it very easy to control the projector. The Starry Hub also supports wireless screen-casting and supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS operating systems. It can also connect to both 2.4G and 5G wireless networks. There are four parts on the back of the projector: a USB 2.0, a USB 3.0, an HDMI 1.4*, and a LAN.
How to Use the Starry Hub
It is fairly easy to start using the Starry Hub. Connect the power adapter into the back of the projector and then plug it into an electrical outlet. Hold down the power button on the side of the device for one second and it will power on. The touchboard can sit on top of the projector to recharge when not in use. In order to use the touchboard, toggle the power switch on the back and then begin using it to move the curser on the projection. You can download the CZUR app from the App Store or Google Play Store. There is a QR code in the quick user guide that will help you find the app. Follow the directions on the screen to connect to your WiFi network and create an account and you are ready to go. You can quickly download video meeting apps including Zoom, Google Meeet, Teams, and Webex Meet right from the display. The Play Store app is also already installed so you can download other apps. The Starry Hub will also come with other apps pre-installed including Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, and more.
Once you have setup your account, you can screencast from your phone or tablet using the CZUR app. Getting into a virtual meeting is easy. Just select the app and either create a meeting or join a meeting using the meeting code. In addition to using the Starry Hub for meetings, you can also use it as a projector for watching video. Since it can support four different devices screencasting to it, you could have four people casting their games onto the screen.
Why You Should Get the Starry Hub
If you are having virtual meetings in groups, then the Starry Hub is a great tool. At my work, we recently hired new people and I was on the hiring panel. Some of the candidates could not meet in person, so we arranged virtual interviews. The panel wanted to be in the same room so we had to set up a video camera to a laptop and then connect the laptop to a projector or monitor. It was a lot of effort. So when my team needed to do a virtual meeting with other teams, we used the Starry Hub. All I needed to do was plug it in and then enter the meeting code and we were ready to go. I set the Starry Hub about six feet away from a screen and then we sat around the table. We could all see and hear the other parties and they could see and hear us. As a teacher, I want to expand the use of community partners in our classes, especially our career technical education or CTE classes. With the Starry Hub, we can easily bring in people from anywhere in the world and they can interact with our students. While the school year is coming to an end, I am already making plans to do this next year.
While the Starry Hub works great for meetings, it is also a great projector for watching movies or other videos. You can stream from various services, many of which have the apps pre-installed. I also like that you can plug in an HDMI cable for a wired connection. I tested it out with my video game console and it worked fairly well. There was a bit of a lag that I noticed in fast paced games, but for most other games where split second reactions were not required, it worked well. I also found that the projection does not always require a screen. A flat white wall works almost as good.
The Starry Hub is a great tool for virtual meetings which can also be used like a normal projector. It is easy to use and makes connecting to virtual meetings a breeze. If you would like to improve your ability to hold virtual meetings while also meeting together in a conference room or other location, then I recommend you consider the Starry Hub.
Check out the Indiegogo campaign for more information and to make a pledge.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this item for review purposes.
